Frequently Asked Questions - School of Computing

Advising

Your faculty advisors provide information, references, and advice in relation to your academic program and your career goals; however, they will not make your choices for you. Advising is an engaging process between the advisor and the advisee where ultimately you are in full control of your educational experience.

Cooperative Education is a program in which students integrate classroom study with supervised work experience related to their major field of study.You can earn credit toward ‘free elective’ categories of your degree by participating in the program and enrolling in the course CIS3949 “Experiential Studies in Computer Science”.Positions in this program are competitive, with almost all of them offered as paid positions.For more information, contact the career services liaison for the School of Computing.

All computing majors have to take a three-credit public speaking or speech course taught by a communications department.At UNF, the preferred course is SPC4064 Public Speaking for Professionals, but if that is not available, SPC2608 Fundamentals of Speech is acceptable.

At nearby state colleges such as FSCJ and SJRSC, SPC2017, SPC2065, SPC1608, andSPC2608 are acceptable. Transfer students can e-mail computing@unf.edu if there is any question about the acceptability of a course.

At UNF, CGS1100 is an acceptable substitute for CGS1570.Other computer application courses such as CGS1060, CGS1000 or those from out-of-state will need to be reviewed by the School to make a determination.

Free electives are credits used toward your program that don’t fulfill a particular course requirement but do count toward your total credit hours earned.The ‘free’ in free electives means you are free to choose the course subject, but pay attention to the course levels that might be required in your program (e.g. some free elective may need to be upper level).[Note: The ‘free’ does not mean the course doesn’t cost anything.]

The School of Computing enforces the "one repeat" rule for all prerequisite and core courses offered by the School for its undergraduate programs. Students who do not successfully complete a prerequisite or core requirement for a School of Computing course on the first attempt (i.e., earn a grade of D, F, W, WP or WF) will be granted one chance to repeat the course. Students who do not successfully complete a prerequisite or core requirement within two attempts will not be permitted to register for courses offered by the School in future semesters. This stipulation applies whether or not the student has declared a major in a School of Computing program.

Yes, School of Computing students can pursue a dual degree from another college while completing their computing degree.See the College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction Policies in the UNF Catalog for more details.

In most cases, students without a computing undergraduate degree will need to take some program prerequisites before being accepted as a graduate student. The Graduate School has established a postbaccalaureate status for students in this situation, so you'll apply using the Graduate School application. Contact the School of Computing Graduate Director to discuss what prerequisites are needed based on your academic background.

Computing Resources & Equipment

Most laptops you can purchase today have plenty of system processing to run the software used in our programs. High speed memory would be more of a concern, buy the most you can afford.You may also benefit from spending more to get a solid-state or hybrid hard drive.Most of the software we use for general development is Windows-based, but we also use specialized software for courses such as gaming and mobile development that are Mac-based.

No, it is not necessary to buy your own computer, although it may be more convenient for you to have one.The School of Computing provides access to specialized laboratories for current students; see the website for more details on these laboratories.

Degree Tracking Tools

A Degree Evaluation is an electronic document that allows you, as a UNF student, to track you academic progress toward graduation. This document is updated several times each semester to reflect your most up-to-date academic progress.

If your Curriculum Information is accurate, click on hyperlink next to your major and view your detailed requirements.If an advisor has created a “What if” Degree Evaluation for you, you can view it by clicking ‘View Previous Evaluation’ and selecting the appropriate date.

Note:If your major or program information is not accurate and you have not yet notified anyone, contact your faculty advisor.

An Academic Roadmap is a course sequence guide that helps you plan your courses on a semester-by-semester basis.Although the map is designed for full-time students, part-time students can find useful information such as which courses are offered in particular semesters.

Graduation

No.Having at least 120 credit hours earned is only one of many requirements to earn your degree.You have to complete all of the degree requirements for your program as outlined on your Degree Evaluation and in the UNF catalog.

Maybe.In order to graduate, you not only need all areas of your evaluation to be labeled “Met” but you also need to make sure you’ll have enough total and upper level credits earned.For the Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Sciences, at least 120 total credits are required and at least 54 of those must be upper level (3000 or 4000 level). You must also meet the minimum GPA requirements as noted in the UNF Catalog.

We recommend you contact your faculty advisors at least one semester prior to your expected graduation term to request a “Graduation Review”.

To apply for graduation, log into myWings, select the <Student> tab, locate the “My Records” channel, click “Student Self Service”, then “Student Records”, then “Graduation Application”.Complete the form and submit it.

Registration

You need to check your ‘time ticket’, the date and time you can start registration.Log into myWings, click the <Student> tab, locate the “Registration Tools” channel, and click the “Registration Status” link.Select the term for which you want to check your status.

You must review each hold carefully to determine if it is informational, that is, it is something that just needs to be acknowledged, or requires an action.Some of your holds may have an origin listed that you can contact with questions about how to resolve it.

Go to the “Forms” page on the School of Computing website and use the “Registration Problem Inquiry” form. Your faculty advisors will research your error and respond to you via e-mail so be sure to enter an e-mail address you check often.

You’ll need to decide if you want to add yourself to the waitlist for the course, find another open section if available, or postpone taking it in another term.To add yourself to a waitlist, attempt to add the course and when the message appears that the course is closed, select the waitlist action and click submit.

This situation is known as “transient enrollment”.Permission for transient enrollment is made on a case-by-case basis.Your request is reviewed by your faculty advisors, the UNF Registrar, and then the other school. If approved, you are responsible for requesting the other school send an official transcript back to UNF after you complete the course.

Resources & Services

We suggest the following resources to help you with your programming courses.First, visit with your course’s instructor during office hours.Second, check the tutoring schedule posted in the School of Computing Lab (15/3129) for help from graduate students or check the Academic Center for Excellence Tutoring Center schedule for help from peer tutors.

The School of Computing has several student organizationsyou can join.These organizations sponsor events during the school year and offer leadership opportunities for you.The School often promotes events by e-mailingyou at your UNF e-mail address or posting advertisements around the John E. Mathews Jr. Computer Science Building (15).